


Nitori the Cunning

by SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 20:05:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13255647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: Nitori is worried that he's going to spend his summer break alone. So he decides to join a local D&D group to help him pass the time and perhaps make a few new friends. What he doesn't expect is for the members of that group to be Rei and Haru. It doesn't take long for Nitori and Rei to bond, but Haru seems to be somewhat unforgiving in his role as the DM...





	Nitori the Cunning

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Nitori's birthday! I know the ship is a bit unusual, but it's mostly just a general fic about some of these characters playing D&D together, so I hope you can give it a try even if you're not sure if Rei/Nitori is your thing. On the D&D note, I fully admit that I've never actually played the game before and am mostly familiar to it through listening to podcasts of other people's games. Therefore this might not be entirely accurate to what D&D's really like, but I hope it's enjoyable all the same.

Nitori wasn't sure if he should actually be here, but he kept telling himself that it was too late to back out. Even though it technically wasn't. He hadn't even rang the doorbell yet, so he had every opportunity to walk away if he wanted to, except that... well, that would be a cowardly thing to do. Now that school was over, Nitori needed to try harder to make friends over the summer, so that he wouldn't be alone until the next term started. Coming here was all part of doing that.

He raised his finger up and rang the bell, then waited for someone to answer. On the inside of the apartment he heard a muffled voice saying 'someone turned up'. Nitori thought that he vaguely recognised the voice. When the door was open, he realised why...

“Ryuugazaki?” Nitori said, with a gasp.

“Nitori?” Rei said at the same time. He sounded equally confused. Then after a pause he asked, “Are you... here for the D&D game?”

“Y-yes...?” said Nitori, “I... um, saw the poster and wanted to try out. But I had no idea you were the one holding it.”

“Ah, well, it's not just me. But please, come in! We can talk more inside,” replied Rei, stepping aside to usher Nitori through, “It actually makes it easier that you already know us. Our last team member... didn't work out so well.”

“What happened to them?” Nitori asked.

He came through into the apartment, but he suddenly had doubts. One of the reasons he'd wanted to get involved with D&D was because it didn't seem dangerous. What could possibly have happened to cause someone to quit? Rei certainly looked awkward about it.

“He... didn't see eye to eye with Haruka,” Rei admitted.

“Nanase is here as well?” Nitori checked. Seriously? Haru was the last person Nitori would have expected to be into this.

“Yes, I'm here,” said Haru, from where he was sat on a chair in front of a table that contained an assortment of charts, dice, figures and maps, “And Rei, you know it wasn't my fault. Hibiki was far too difficult and he made a terrible dungeon master. He had to go.”

“Of course,” said Rei, with an awkward chuckle, “There was a... slight clash of egos that meant that, um, Haruka and our former team mate, Hibiki, didn't get along. It was already a stretch to run a table with only three of us, but it'd be almost impossible with two. Which was why I put out an ad for new members. We're so lucky you saw it! But it looks like... you might be the only one.”

“That's fine. I'm a beginner anyway, so I won't know any better if it's easy or difficult with just the three of us,” assured Nitori, “Um... which of you is the DM if the last one quit though?”

“I am,” said Haru, with an air of finality that suggested this was not up for debate.

“Th-that's nice... I'm sure you'll treat me kindly for my first time,” Nitori mumbled, as he took a seat on the sofa, “I've done some reading, so I'm not going in blind or anything. Hopefully you won't have to explain too much to me.”

“Don't worry, we'll help you with anything you need,” said Rei, “As a group, we're more focused on the roleplaying part than the statistics anyway, so if all the numbers go over your head, then don't worry. We're just here to tell a story and have fun. Can I get you anything to drink before we start?”

“Tea would be nice,” Nitori replied.

With that, Rei bustled into the kitchen to make some tea, leaving Nitori alone with Haru. The silence was awkward to say the least. Or it was awkward for Nitori, anyway. Haru made no inclination that he cared either way.

“It's nice of Ryuugazaki to do this in his home,” Nitori said, as an attempt to start a conversation.

“Yes. Rei is very good. Please don't let him die,” Haru said.

“D-die...?” echoed Nitori.

“In the game,” Haru clarified.

“Oh... Oh, yes. Um, of course! I'll do my best,” said Nitori. Because the last thing he now wanted was to let Rei die after Haru had sounded so serious about it.

Thankfully, it wasn't long after that when Rei returned. He passed Nitori a steaming cup of tea, before taking a seat next to him on the sofa and pulling a fresh sheet of paper towards them both. It was time to get started.

“First thing's first, you need to design your character,” Rei explained, “I suppose I should explain our current situation to you. I'm an orc bard called Rei Dragontune, who has been-”

“An orc?” Nitori checked.

“Yes, an orc. What's wrong with that?” Rei asked, sounding slightly irritable, as if he'd had to explain this more than once before.

“N-nothing! It's just that I... excepted you'd want to be something more... beautiful?” stammered Nitori.

“I am an extremely beautiful orc who wins all of the many beauty pageants held by orc kind, thank you very much,” Rei replied in a hoity manner, “It is a cruel stereotype that orcs are not pleasing to gaze upon. People travel across the lands to gaze upon me! Although that... kind of does bring us to our current situation. You see, Rei Dragontune had previously employed a druid by the name of just Haru, one of the shallow merfolk – which means that he has legs, not that he's shallow in nature – to be his bodyguard against unwanted attention from fans. But circumstances saw to it that Haru could no longer fulfil this position. Circumstances being that, in real life, our previous DM left and now Haru needs to fill the role.”

“In the game we're saying that Haru killed a difficult scholar in cold blood and got arrested,” Haru added.

“Yes... quite,” sighed Rei, “So that's where we're hoping that you can come in, as Rei is now looking for a new bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard, huh? I guess I could do that. Though I had wanted to be a warlock instead of some kind of warrior,” Nitori admitted.

“You can still be a warlock,” assured Rei, “Haru was a druid and he did fine in the position up until he murdered someone. So I'll put you down as a warlock. Any ideas for species?”

“Maybe something like... a gnome?” checked Nitori.

“That won't make for a good bodyguard,” Haru said, bluntly.

“But our team is all about pushing outside of what is expected of you,” Rei insisted, “So a warlock gnome it is. And what shall we call you, good sir?”

Nitori chuckled a little at being called “good sir”. They hadn't even started yet, but it was obvious that Rei was getting into it. They still had a lot of details to fill out before they could begin, as the chart with Nitori's list of potential attributes seemed to be a mile long, but for now, a name was the best place to start.

“...Call me, Nitori the Cunning,” he announced.

***

On that first day, they didn't actually get any playing done. Because although Rei had insisted that they were a casual group who didn't care too much about the statistical side of the game, he devoted a lot of time to fine-tuning the character chart of Nitori the Cunning until he felt that the character was exactly right. Honestly, Nitori didn't mind that kind of hand-holding at this stage, since he was comforted to know he was in the hands of an expert.

But he was looking forward to actually doing something, which was why he was keen to meet up with Rei and Haru again the next time he went to Rei's apartment. He'd even brought cupcakes with him, because he didn't want to seem ungrateful to Rei for letting him come over.

“I hope they're all right...” Nitori mumbled, as he put the plate down on the table.

“They look wonderful!” Rei assured, “And Haruka has made something for you as well.”

“For me...?” said Nitori.

He looked over at Haru in time to see him put a small figure on the table. It looked like... well, it was much smaller than the (admittedly handsome) figure of the orc beside it. And it had a little staff. So that must mean that it was...

“Is this me?” Nitori checked, “It looks amazing! You made this?”

“Yes, this is Nitori the Cunning,” said Haru, “I hope I got your hair right.”

“Don't worry, that probably looks better than my actual hair does,” Nitori said, with an awkward laugh, “So are we ready to get started?”

Haru's hand shot out across the table and grabbed a cupcake. Only once it was in his possession did he nod.

“Yes, now we're ready,” he said.

“Great! Um... what now?” Nitori asked.

“Haruka sets the scene and then, when the time is right, we make our actions,” Rei explained, “This might be Haruka's first time as a DM, but I assure you that he is an excellent storyteller. Please do start, Haruka.”

There was a nod from Haru. Then they began.

“Rei Dragontune has not been blessed with luck in the recent weeks, having lost his previous companion in the small, seaside town of Iwatobi,” said Haru, delivering the tale in an unenthusiastic monotone, “After Haru's arrest, Rei travels along the coast until he comes to another town, Samezuka, known for its bold warriors. He hopes to find a suitable bodyguard there to replace Haru and decides that the local tavern will be the best place to ask. The tavern is as grand as would be expected of Samezuka, with a high roof and noble people sharing tales of their adventures over mead.”

“Oh, what a charming place! I'm sure that it is my destiny to find what I'm looking for here!” Rei announced. By contrast to Haru, Rei had gone full drama student on this, practically swooning as he delivered his lines.

“Rei's beauty is well-known throughout the land. But what's also well-known is the danger that beauty attracts,” said Haru, “He has come here expecting to find a warrior, but it seems that even the bravest of the Samzuka veterans avoid his gaze. Will anyone rise up to aid Rei in his cause?”

That was when Rei and Haru both turned to look at Nitori. Clearly something was expected of him.

“Oh, me?” Nitori said, “I mean... uh, fear not, most famous of orcs! I shall... help you?”

“The young warlock, Nitori the Cunning, has decided he's up to the task,” Haru continued, seeming to be satisfied with Nitori's contribution, “But Nitori is as small as he is brave, so Rei could be forgiven for not noticing him at first.”

“I'm down here,” said Nitori.

“Oh, I'm so sorry, my good fellow! I didn't notic-”

“-roll for not standing on Nitori,” Haru interrupted.

“But I just said that I saw him,” Rei gasped.

“Roll for if you actually saw Nitori,” corrected Haru.

“Very well then...” sighed Rei, “I'm sorry in advance if I stand on you, Nitori.”

“It's quite all right,” Nitori assured.

Rei then rolled one of his dice, which landed on the table with the seven facing upwards. Both Nitori and Rei nervously glanced at Haru to see if this would appease him.

“...Rei narrowly avoids standing on Nitori, although the encounter leaves them both shaken,” Haru said.

“That's a relief! I mean... oh my, that was a close one! I hope that I caused you no harm, good warlock,” said Rei.

“None at all,” replied Nitori, “When you're my height, you get used to it. Actually, you're exactly the person that I wanted to talk to, Mr. Dragontune.”

“Please, call me Rei,” said Rei, “And who might you be to be searching for me?”

“I am Nitori the Cunning and I wish to take on the role of your bodyguard, to escort you to your next orc beauty pageant,” Nitori stated, “If you'll have me...”

“That's most kind of you...” said Rei, “But might I ask why someone such as yourself would want to take this task upon you? I've heard that warlocks are quite solitary people.”

“As a great believer in orc beauty, I support your plight?” Nitori tried.

“Rei looks around the tavern, but it seems that no one else was going to offer to take up the task,” Haru narrated, “It's Nitori or no one.”

“Very well! I am honoured to have you travelling by my side,” said Rei, “We shall leave at once!”

“But before they could make it out of the tavern, it seems that their path has been blocked. Where no one had been interested in Rei before, suddenly everyone is, albeit for a different reason,” said Haru. It was probably the first time that Nitori had actually heard anyone use the word 'albeit' in real life.

“What can I help you good people with?” Rei asked, as Haru put several other figures on the table. They were all varying shades of red and looked a lot like sharks with legs.

“Rei's fame and fortune have preceded him. Helping him might have been too much of a task, but taking his money certainly isn't,” explained Haru, “The sharkmen of Samezuka line up to-”

“-but Rin would never do that!” Nitori interrupted.

“They're not Rin. They're sharkmen,” Haru corrected.

“Why are they all red then?” Nitori demanded.

“Because sharkmen are red in Samezuka,” said Haru, “But Rin is not here.”

“V-very well... I feel sorry for Rin that these sharkmen are making him look bad and will take them down in his name,” Nitori claimed.

“Roll for attack,” said Haru.

“Do I... actually want to attack?” Nitori asked.

“I assume you don't want to get mugged,” offered Haru.

“V-very well then, I roll...” Nitori said, “...It's, uh, a two. That's not good, is it?”

“Still shaken from having almost been stepped on, Nitori's meagre stun spell misses its target and bounces off the wall back to him. He falls to the floor with a small thud.”

“You got all of that just from my rolling a two?” Nitori asked, sceptically.

“Our previous DM would have been much worse, believe me,” said Rei, “Anyway, with Nitori down, Rei steps in front of him. He knows that they are vastly outnumbered, so he does a perception check.” With that, Rei elegantly rolled his dice, “...A ten.”

“What do you want to know?” said Haru.

“Are there any beams on the ceiling that would support the weight of an orc?” Rei asked.

“The many beams criss-crossing the ceiling would indeed support the weight of an orc, since Samezuka prides itself on architecture,” answered Haru.

“Excellent! With this knowledge, Rei scoops Nitori up into his arms and jumps onto a table,” said Rei. Just the thought of Rei doing that sounded pretty cool to Nitori. Rei was... a pretty cool guy, now that he thought about it.

“Roll for acrobatics,” Haru said.

“Fourteen!” Rei proudly announced.

“In a flourish, Rei jumps onto the table, his charms distracting the sharkmen,” said Haru, “He then manages to grab onto one of the low beams and sails over their heads, landing in front of the door. But he'll have to move fast, because they're soon on his trail and won't let up until he's left Samezuka's borders.”

“This would normally be your turn to make an action, Nitori, but as you're currently in my arms, I'm afraid there's not much that you can do,” Rei admitted.

“That's okay, I'm happy to stay in your arms until the stun spell wears off,” said Nitori, “Can I roll for that?”

“You can,” confirmed Haru.

“All right... I've roll an eleven,” Nitori said.

“This not being the first time that one of Nitori's stun spells have backfired on him, Nitori has learned to channel his focus into breaking free of them. He can feel its grip over his limbs weakening, but decides it would be safer to stay with Rei until the two of them have made their escape, as Nitori isn't in a good condition for running,” said Haru, “With the sharkmen on their heels, Rei guides them down an alleyway that winds through several of Samezuka's streets, hoping to confuse them.”

“However can we escape them?” Rei said, “Good gnome, as a local of Samezuka, you must have some idea?”

“I, ah... Samezuka is a busy place, so if they're causing a disturbance, then someone will notice them,” Nitori suggested, “The police force here is second to none, so if they get on the wrong side of the law it... won't be good for them?”

“Am I to take from this that you're calling the police?” Haru asked.

“Yes?” said Nitori.

“Do we have figures for that?” checked Rei.

“No, but we have our usual substitute,” Haru said. With that, he took out a small wooden figure of what appeared to be the Iwatobi High School mascot and put it down on the table; “He will be our police.”

Rei must have picked up on the confused look on Nitori's face, because he explained the mascot to him; “When the others started the swim club, they made many of these to entice people to join. There were, um, a lot of them left over, so now we use them to fill unplanned roles in our stories. Half of this kingdom is populated by Iwatobi-chans.”

“It is a good kingdom,” assured Haru.

“I don't doubt that it is,” Nitori nervously replied.

“Having sighted Officer Iwatobi-chan, Nitori calls out to him,” Haru said.

“Sir! Please, good sir! We are being pursued!” Nitori cried, feeling that he was starting to get into character now that he had Rei's own hamming it up for inspiration, “Those vile sharkmen are trying to mug us!”

“Certainly the officer is familiar with the sharkmen and has had several run-ins with them in the past,” said Haru, “He takes out his baton and gets ready to face them, giving Rei and Nitori a chance to escape.”

“Does Iwatobi-chan need to... roll for that?” Nitori said.

“Iwatobi-chan always wins,” assured Haru.

“There's no point in arguing with him on that point. Let's just try to hurry away while someone else deals with the sharkmen. It's not very heroic, but we need to save our strength for when we're on the road,” said Rei. From the way he spoke, it was clear that whenever one of the mascots appeared on the table, Haru had a preference for them.

“Both of you roll for stealth and then combine the number,” said Haru.

“Four,” said Nitori.

“Ah... only a six, that's not very good,” sighed Rei, “Ten is our total, Haruka.”

“The two almost manage to get away, but during the fray, one of the sharkmen catches sight of them and continues in his pursuit. It's clear that he intends to keep pursuing them as far as he can,” said Haru.

“Ah, but sharkmen don't like to travel too far away from the ocean, so if we can get out of Samezuka, then he'll leave us be,” Rei said.

“With this notion in mind, Rei carries Nitori towards the south-east border of the town, which will lead them into the countryside,” Haru continued, “But Rei has been running for quite a while, so he'll need to roll for a stamina check.”

“It's a thirteen,” said Rei, “That's decent.”

“Oh, can I cut in?” asked Nitori.

“Of course,” said Haru, his curiosity piqued.

“Rei, please hear me out,” said Nitori, “I know my magic left you no reason to be impressed before, but I am an accomplished warlock. If I could cast a stamina spell on you, it might give you the extra energy you need to push you away from this vile creature.”

“I like it. Roll for that,” Haru said. There was actually a small smirk on his face now.

“I got a twenty! That's the highest!” Nitori cheered.

“Combined with Rei's already decent stamina, Nitori's spell gives him more of a boost than either of them expect. He shoots off so fast that the ground beneath their feet is scorched. The sharkman, who had been on their heels, in unpleasantly singed, but not fatally harmed. He will not be pursuing them any more, but by the time either Rei or Nitori are in any position to realise this, they're already deep into the forest, with a trail of damaged flora behind them,” said Haru.

“It seems that even when I win, I lose...” Nitori awkwardly joked.

“Not at all! That was an amazing rescue,” praised Rei, “We might've struggled without you. It's a shame that the environment was harmed, but I'm sure that our great god Iwatobi-chan will see to it that the grass will go again.”

“They have a different god in Samezuka. It isn't as good,” Haru said.

“Hey, our mascot is just as good as yours!” Nitori protested.

“Then you can pray to him that the grass will grow, but for now we're going to call it a day.” said Haru.

“So soon?” asked Nitori. He was slightly disappointed.

“I didn't plan for you to reach the forest as quickly as you have done, so I'll need to do some thinking and crafting for what you'll find there,” Haru replied.

“Besides, it has been a while. Time just passes quickly when you get into this,” added Rei, “And you do seem to have gotten into this, Nitori. Would it be too bold to assume that you're enjoying yourself?”

“You'd be right to think that! I'm having a great time,” chimed Nitori, “It's impressive how Nanase makes all the models as well. I'd like to help out with that.”

Rei looked at Haru, seeming to be worried that Nitori was treading too far onto Haru's territory. Though it seemed that Rei's worries were for nought, as Haru just gave Nitori a polite nod.

“That would be nice. I'll give you a list of some of the extra characters we might need,” said Haru, “Also, if you're calling Rei by Rei in the game, it makes sense that you call us by our first names in real life as well. Haru will be fine.”

“Woah, so fast? But okay. In that case, please call me Ai,” Nitori said, bowing when he was sat.

“Ai it is,” said Rei. Nitori kind of liked the fond way his name came out in Rei's voice. It almost distracted him from what Rei said next; “Well, we still have all of these cupcakes left. So let's finish off today by planning for our next session.”

That sounded like a good idea to Nitori. He didn't want to go home yet when instead he could stay here with his new friends (was it too forward to call them that?) and plan for what they were going to do next time. Nitori could very much get used to this.

***

The sessions soon became a regular fixture of Nitori's summer break. At first they started out as being weekly, but as they all got deeper into the story they were creating and Nitori became more comfortable with Haru and Rei's style of play, they increased their meet ups to twice a week. It was easily the highlight of any day and Nitori would spend a lot of time thinking about the adventures that he might go on with Rei Dragontune.

They had already travelled so far together! Through forests and mountains, rivers and valleys, caves and caverns. It seemed that the yearly orc beauty pageants were something of a pain to get to. Which didn't seem very practical, but then it must be to toughen the competition up. Only the bravest and most beautiful orcs would even make it there.

And Rei was definitely both! Even though Nitori the Cunning and his haphazard magic were supposed to be what was guarding Rei, more often than not, it was Rei who ended up saving Nitori. He certainly was very strong and smart... and handsome...

In the game, of course...! N-not that Rei wasn't handsome in real life as well, but... um, Nitori wasn't thinking about him that way. That would be inappropriate...

Regardless, one day Nitori got a call from Rei that left both of them struggling to hide their disappointment.

“It's to be expected from time to time, but Haruka won't be able to make it to our session today and I'm afraid that we can't carry on without him,” Rei told Nitori over the phone, “He agreed to help Makoto on a camping trip with Makoto's younger siblings, so they'll be gone for a few days. I actually considered calling our previous DM to try and make peace, but I feel like that would be something that Haruka and Hibiki would need to sort out amongst themselves. You can't force forgiveness.”

“That's fine. I'm sure it'd take ages to bring someone else up to speed with our story anyway,” said Nitori, “It's kind of a shame though.”

“Yes, I'd been looking forward to this afternoon. But it can't be helped. I'll send you a message once Haruka is back from the trip and hopefully the three of us can arrange another date to meet up,” Rei replied.

A date...?

Not that Rei meant it like that, but it gave Nitori an idea.

“Hey... um, since I'd left today free for our session, I don't actually have anything else planned,” he said, “If you're not busy either then... m-maybe we could meet up anyway? Do a bit of prep for the next session?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea!” Rei replied, without hesitation, “We do need to paint up some of the Iwatobi-chans in fiery colours for when we reach the volcano. It would be pleasant to do that in company instead of on our own.”

“All right, let's do that,” said Nitori, “I'll be over as soon as I can.”

“Looking forward to it,” Rei said.

And Nitori realised that he was as well. It'd be the first time that he was going over to Rei's apartment without Haru being there. As much as Nitori liked Haru and did agree with Rei that he made an excellent (if a little stubborn) DM, sometimes he did make Nitori slightly nervous. It was just Haru's manner to be abrupt, but it didn't work so well with Nirori's manner to be nervous. Rei was a much more calming presence, despite being easily the most excitable when he got into character. It was going to be... n-nice.

Once they'd finished up the phone call, Nitori gathered all of his supplies for their game into his backpack and headed out. He didn't have time to bake any more now that they'd gotten heavier into the D&D sessions, but he did pick up some iced buns along the way for them to share.

“You spoil me!” Rei chuckled, as he helped Nitori in through the door, “Honestly, I wish I could do something for you.”

“Just getting to come here and hang out is enough for me,” assured Nitori, “Should we get started then?”

“Absolutely. I've got several of the Iwatobi-chans out on the table already,” said Rei, as the two of them walked through to the living room, “Haru can get a bit precious about them, but if he's not here, then he's going to have to accept whatever paint job we produce.”

“I'm sure it'll be fine. Haru doesn't seem to get actually annoyed about very much,” Nitori said.

“That's probably because he's comfortable around you,” Rei replied, “With Hibiki... well, I got along with both him and Haruka individually, but they were both so determined to have their own way that they butted heads. I'm not saying that Haruka likes you because you're more submissive, but it is nice to have someone who won't argue with him at every turn.”

“I trust his judgement, so why would I argue?” dismissed Nitori. However, then another thought hit him, so he added, “But wasn't this Hibiki the DM before Haru took over? If Haru wasn't the one setting the scene, then why would Hibiki argue with Haru's choices?”

“They argued so much that sometimes it was hard to tell,” Rei admitted, “I feel like both of them wanted to be the DM. They're both great storytellers, but their styles were so different. And we'd only met Hibiki through doing this, as opposed to Haruka and I already being friends. So when the last straw was reached, it made sense for Hibiki to be the one to leave... It's been nicer having the more relaxed atmosphere with you around, but it's a shame that we couldn't work it out with Hibiki. His story choices were entertaining for different reasons to Haru's. I would've liked to have had the best of both worlds.”

“Maybe you can work it out with them both someday,” said Nitori. Although he didn't fancy the prospect of being pushed out if their previous team member came back; “Hey... um, Rei? If it was just us for once, how would you tell the story?”

Rei paused thoughtfully.

“I hadn't considered that before,” he confessed, “Then again, in-universe it's always just the two of us. But I know what you mean. I feel like if it was just the two of us, I'd want to do something like filler, so that Haruka wouldn't be left out. Perhaps just a casual conversation to strengthen the bond between our two characters.”

“Well, they are just camping at the moment,” Nitori pointed out, “Need to preserve their strength for when they begin the trek up the volcano.”

“Ah yes... the site of this year's pageant,” said Rei, wistfully, “Never in the same place twice and yet still, Rei Dargontune always wins. This is why his enemies are plentiful – they all want to take him out before the contest even begins. Such underhanded tactics! But he's had nothing to fear since he joined forces with Nitori the Cunning.”

“Come on, you give me too much credit. My spells have gotten us into as much trouble as they've gotten us out of,” Nitori replied.

“It's been a lot more fun though,” assured Rei, “My last companion was so stubborn that he kept arguing with the sky. But with you, I feel like we've... made a connection.”

Was Rei talking in-character right now? Nitori wasn't certain, but he replied as if he was.

“Well, you know... you're easy to get along with. I'm usually shy, even for a gnome, but I just feel comfortable with you,” he said, “I hope that once the pageant is over, we can keep travelling together. It'd be lonely without you.”

“Of course you can! Our friendship is not simply for the sake of this one journey. I'd like to go on many journeys with you. To far-off lands that we've never been to before,” Rei replied, “Like the jungle temples or the butterfly houses of the south.”

“How about the dragon boneyard of the west? I've always wanted to go there,” Nitori suggested, pointing it out on the map Haru had lovingly created for their game.

“Ah! We can't go to the west without passing through the mines that my orc brethren call home,” said Rei, “I could finally introduce you to my family.”

“In that case, we could go see my family in the mystical forest. Although gnomes are kind of boring,” Nitori said, “Maybe we could put that visit on the back burner. I'd much rather go somewhere like... like... uh, do you have any more suggestions?”

Rei shrugged; “I mean... we could go out to dinner.”

“W-what!” Nitori blurted that out before he'd even had time to think about it. His face was suddenly very red.

“In the game, I mean,” Rei hastily corrected, “Surely I can't be the only one who thinks our characters have great chemistry...?”

“Th-they kind of do... but they're a gnome and an orc,” reminded Nitori, “Is that really okay?”

“Well, they wouldn't be harming anyone. What they do in their time is their business...” Rei mumbled.

“Maybe we should... consult this with Haru first. He is the DM,” said Nitori.

“Honestly, Haruka won't give a damn and I can tell you that now,” Rei promised, “He'd just say that as long as we can be free, we should be happy. And I'd be happy with you. Um. In the game.”

“Then I'd be happy with you in the game as well,” assured Nitori.

“Great. Then Rei and Nitori should go out to dinner,” Rei concluded.

“How are they going to do that in the game? Do we roll for how much we tip the waiter?” Nitori asked.

They then both realised how ridiculous they were being and started to laugh. That was why it was good to be with Rei – whenever things got awkward, they somehow made it comfortable again easily enough.

“Maybe we can't actually do it in the game,” Rei admitted, “It'd be very long and dull, I'd imagine. But it wouldn't be dull at all if you... wanted to do it in real life?”

There was no mistaking what this was. Not from how embarrassed Rei looked. Nitori suspected that he probably looked just as embarrassed himself. But he still felt oddly elated by the suggestion. So he gave Rei a warm smile, which Rei returned moments later.

“I think that's definitely something we could do on their behalf,” said Nitori, “Maybe once we've wrapped up the painting we could... head out? I know a nice place near Samezuka.”

“Just so long as we don't get ambushed by sharkmen wanting revenge,” teased Rei.

And that was what they were going to do that evening. They were going out to dinner together. In truth, it probably had very little to do with their characters and was more just because they both wanted to. That didn't seem so bad.

***

It was Sunday by the time Haru got back from the camping trip. But he didn't go all the way back to Iwatobi with the Tachibana siblings. Instead he got them to drop him off at Sano and said that he'd meet back up with them later. That gained him a raised eyebrow from Makoto, but Makoto knew better than to question Haru when he was on a mission.

Once he was left alone, Haru made his way to an address he'd had written down from the old contact sheet of their D&D group. It took him a while, but he eventually found the apartment block that was listed and made his way up to the correct apartment. He rang the doorbell once and then waited. It took a while for anyone to answer.

The guy who opened the door was bespectacled and frustrated as always.

“Look, it's only me home. So if you wanted to talk to- ...Haru?” said Hibiki. His expression changed from irritation to surprise for a moment, before it settled back on irritation again; “What do you want?”

Haru wasn't going to waste time here.

“I wanted to know if you were ready to admit the errors of your ways and come back to our group,” he stated.

“...Goodbye, Haru.”

The door was very nearly shut in his face, but Haru was faster than that. He shot his foot out to block it. Hibiki growled at him, but at least pulled the door back so that Haru wouldn't hurt his foot too badly.

“Why do you want me to come back anyway?” Hibiki retorted, “You clearly didn't like my style of play.”

“Because we have a new member now and he's... very nice,” said Haru.

“Fucking good for you then!” snapped Hibiki.

“No, you don't understand. He's very nice and Rei's very nice and they're... kind of developing... a thing. It's all very pleasant,” Haru stated. He hoped that Hibiki of all people was enough of a jerk to get him on this.

Hibiki snorted, but he was grinning now. Haru was right about him.

“Honestly, I should leave you to thirdwheel to them from your almighty DM chair,” he said, “But I'm not that heartless. Give me a proper apology and I'll think about it.”

“If I'm going to give you a proper apology, then I want you to do more than just think about it,” said Haru.

“I might have better offers,” Hibiki hummed.

“You don't have better offers,” said Haru.

“Haru, just say sorry. It's not hard!” shot Hibiki.

Haru took a deep breath and then huffed. He glowered at Hibiki, but an apology came out of his mouth all the same.

“Fine. I'm sorry that I pushed you out of the group before. Please come back and be our DM again so that we came combine our powers to mess with these two nice people and create an interesting story,” he said.

“Eh, you're just awful enough that I'll take it,” Hibiki said, “Heck, we can even pass the DM role back and forth between us to keep things fresh, if you want.”

“Fine. Just so long as you promise not to mess with their relationship. That would be going too far,” said Haru.

“What? Are Rei and this guy actually dating?” Hibiki checked.

“After leaving them alone for the weekend, I'll be more surprised if they're not,” sighed Haru, “So no messing with them. Is that a deal?”

“It's a deal. I'll see you on Monday, Haru,” said Hibiki.

“Have your character sheet ready,” Haru concluded.

And just like that, Haru had gone out of his way to add another complication in the quest of Rei Dragontune and Nitori the Cunning. No one could say that Haru wasn't dedicated in his role as their dungeon master.


End file.
